Man Arrested On Drug Charges At Cher’s Malibu Home

MALIBU (CBSLA) — The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Thursday arrested a 23-year-old man at the Malibu home of singer Cher accused of selling Fentanyl to a person who later overdosed and died from the drug in Thousand Oaks.

Deputies took Donovan Ruiz was taken into custody at Cher’s home in the 25000 block of Pacific Coast Highway, where he lived.

Donovan Ruiz. (Ventura County Sheriff’s Office)

According to the sheriff’s office, Ruiz was the subject of a two week investigation over allegations Ruiz sold Fentanyl to several people throughout Ventura and Los Angeles counties.

One of those people died of an overdose earlier this month, the sheriff’s office said.

Evidence was also seized from the home during the arrest.

Cher — whose real name is Cherilyn Sarkisian — is not part of the investigation, deputies said. It was not immediately clear how Cher and Ruiz knew one another.

Ruiz was booked into the Ventura County Main Jail on charges of sales of a controlled substance. He could also face an charging enhancement related to the overdose death.

He is being held on $500,000 bail. His first court hearing is scheduled for Monday afternoon.